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Slovakia is introducing a new regulation of the food law, according to which at least 50% of products in stores must be of Slovak origin. With a third infringement, retailers could be fined up to EUR 5 million. EuroCommerce, representing large retail chains, including Tesco and Lidl, filed a complaint against the Slovak rules with the European Commission. It is stated in the complaint that the law discriminates against foreign products and thus distorts the European single market. Slovakia, on the other hand, defends the regulation by stating that large foreign chains have caused local market imbalances. The law should therefore help Slovak farmers and producers to promote local products, reduce the carbon footprint of Slovakia and create new jobs.
More information is available here.

Swedish government plans to introduce mandatory country of origin labelling for meat served in restaurants. The new rules are currently being prepared by the National Food Agency, and by December 2020 it should be notified by the European Commission. The aim is to provide consumers with more information and enable them to make informed decisions in accordance with the principles of sustainability. Finland is also considering introducing similar rules.
More information is available here.

On 08/07/2019, the Lithuanian Parliament approved a proposal for a 15% tax cut on spirits. If approved by the president, it will come into effect in early August. In recent years, the Baltic States have followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization and increased taxes on hard alcohol as part of an effort to reduce alcohol consumption. However, Estonia reduced taxes on spirits by 25% in May, and Lithuania was therefore afraid of the financial loss of EUR 92 million caused by the purchase of products abroad. The Lithuanian Ministry of Health proposes limiting the promotion and availability of spirits to reduce alcohol consumption.

The European Union has introduced stricter rules for the authorization of pesticides, triggering a wave of criticism from third countries. Over 100 of them - including the US, Australia and Brazil - have turned to the World Trade Organization (WTO) with the criticism. According to critics of the EU, the European Union is introducing trade barriers by adopting these rules, doing harm especially to the import of wheat, coffee, palm oil, bananas and sweet potatoes into the EU, due to low-set pesticide residue limits.
More information is available here and here.

The opposition Irish party Sinn Féin has drafted a proposal rejecting the agreement with Mercosur. The proposal was adopted by 84 Irish Members, 46 were against, but it is not an official government position. Ireland is especially afraid of the threat that is posed by cheap beef imports. Many farmers and environmental organizations also oppose the agreement, while the dairy sector welcomes it thanks to the high quota for cheese exports. The EU-Mercosur agreement is a so-called "mixed agreement" which must be adopted unanimously by all Member States. The agreement will be subject to legal scrutiny over the coming months and subsequently translated into all European languages, which will take approximately one year. Subsequently, it will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for approval, and 40 national and regional parliaments across the EU must also accept it.

The Chapters of the Mercosur Trade Agreement is available here.
The proposal of the Irish MPs is available here.